House of Madness
by Amber Spirit
Summary: - Alois/Ciel -AU- With no memories of his past or himself, Ciel is kept as a toy to entertain the spoiled young master of the Trancy family. However when faced with Alois's cruel side, would he be able to survive?
1. Chapter 1

He did not know his name.

He did not know his age.

He did not know his parents.

He assumed something must have happened to them. After all, no one came looking for him and it seemed like he was not missed at all.

He wondered if he could recognize them if he met them on the street.

He doubted it.

His past was dead to him now.

0o0

_**Chapter one: Prisoner**_

_**0o0**_

A young woman brought him food and water everyday. Her name was Hannah.

She had a kind face that was marred by an eye patch on her left eye. He noticed that she sometimes touched it, almost absentmindedly during one of their brief conversations. The medical patch fascinated him and he found himself convinced that he once knew somebody that used to wear it. He wondered how it felt to have half of your vision so brutally removed from you but surprisingly found the sensation familiar and comforting. However he was sure he never wore one. After all, both of his eyes worked perfectly fine.

The cell he was staying at was unnaturally clean and located somewhere underground. He could occasionally glimpse the rest of the floor whenever Hannah bathed him and was able to recognize rows and rows of wine bottles positioned strategically next to each other. It looked like a big house or a mansion of some kind.  
He often asked Hannah about his reasons for being kept there but she never answered. Her eyes always glanced up at the ceiling and then back at him with an expression of a terrified animal that was afraid of disobeying its master. She had the mannerism of a servant and was always clothed in an extravagant maid uniform that seemed impractical and sometimes even painful to wear.

Time has stopped for him and he could not tell day from night. His imprisonment seemed to last forever but when he asked she said it was only a week and a half since he awakened. Logically there was no reason for him to believe her but he was enamoured with her gentle nature and would believe anything that came out of her mouth. He looked forward to her visits and always tried to make her talk as much as possible.  
Her voice was quiet but he could understand each word she said perfectly, even at a distance. She had an air of a person that went through something horrible and he often fantasized about what could have happened to her whenever he was left alone in his cell. He wondered if the event was connected to her injured eye.

There were certain topics that Hannah obviously wanted to avoid each time he brought them up. She looked especially distressed when he asked about the owner of the house; she seemed to be scared of the head of the family and gave him the impression that fear was the general reaction of the servants when faced with the unknown master.

When he asked about the master she refused to answer. It was perhaps this that made him even more anxious.

The food that Hannah brought him everyday was of the highest quality. Freshly baked bread, meat covered with a rich tomato cream, gleaming fruit and expensive tea…He found himself recognizing the names of some of the French recipes and always quizzed his caretaker about the special tea blend.  
She seemed surprised when he asked for cutlery at first. But as the days went by the setting of his small table became more and more sophisticated; the large bowl turned into several china plates with purple decorations, the spoon turned into three forks and four knives and the mug was replaced by an elegant looking tea set.

Hannah seemed to get some sort of an enjoyment from serving him his meal in such an extravagant manner and he embraced it, completely comfortable with the huge setting that led him to believe that he used to be from an upper class family. His straight posture and elegant handling of the cutlery came easy to him and Hannah seemed impressed by his good manners and actively encouraged them. She said that good manners were important for his role in the manor. When he asked what she meant by this the woman grew quiet again.

There were no mirrors in his cell and he had hard time imagining what his face looked like. Hannah often told him that he was a handsome boy and said he looked about twelve years old, however she couldn't be certain. He felt his face up whenever he was left on his own and it was always the same thing; two eyebrows, two eyes a nose a mouth…It was hard to imagine his features this way but he tried anyway.  
He felt his teeth and discovered them to be in a perfect shape (this only supported his theory that he came from a rich family as teeth were an easy indicator of wealth status). His hair too seemed to be in an excellent condition after Hannah washed it and he marvelled at the dull grey colour it seemed to have. In the darkness of the cell it seemed almost blue.

He was always given the same clothes; a uniform of some sort that consisted of simple black pants and a formal white shirt that he always buttoned up to his neck. He found himself comfortable with being changed by another person and it was the same with bathing; the feel of another human being serving him in such an intimate manner felt familiar, natural even and he embraced it.  
He could tell Hannah found his high-class mannerism unexpected and realized that she probably knew nothing about his former live or where he came from. They were both in the dark and this comforted him somewhat.

He wanted to trust her completely but something kept him back; a natural instinct of some sort. Despite his strange amnesia his previous life warned him against putting his trust into someone. Once again he was left to wonder about his past.

His lack of name made him more lost than anything else and one day he asked Hannah to name him. The one eyed woman looked at him with a strange expression and answered

"I'm not allowed. Once you are introduced to the master he would decide a name for you."

He immediately rebelled against the idea and stood up from his chair, enraged. Named by the tyrant of the house? Impossible!

"No! If you refuse to do it I would name myself! I don't need anyone's permission."

She blinked at his anger, no doubt surprised by her normally quite agreeable prisoner. He suddenly grew afraid that he scared her off; Hannah always seemed to him to be a very fragile creature. However his pride forced him to keep glaring at her and he could not take his words back. It was during this moment that he realized he was an extremely proud individual.

But the maid only shook her head and apologized, her sad eye avoiding him as she exited the cell and disappeared behind the numerous wine shelves. He sat himself down and felt even more lost than before. The master of the house…would name him?  
Perhaps it was a ritual in this place and Hannah was not Hannah's real name but something that was forced upon her by an over-controlling bitter old man. He had never seen the master but already hated him with passion. He already had his suspicious that Hannah was somehow hurt by him on regular basis.

His suspicion proved true when two days later she came down to the basement with a bandage wrapped around her slender throat. It was extremely noticeable and he asked about it right away.

"What happened to your neck?"

"I was punished." She replied in that quiet voice of hers. He blinked at her response in shock. Punished! And said in such a matter of fact tone!

"What did you do to deserve this?"

She avoided his eyes and he realized that she was not able to tell him. He changed the subject immediately and let her prepare the table for him.

The next day she came down wearing a more extravagant outfit than usual. He grew accustomed to her strange uniforms over the course of weeks; silly frills, lace and ribbons, sometimes short and sometimes long. However this was clearly a costume and he recognize her as being dressed like some sort of a bandit. She was wearing a black eye patch on her face and an extremely tight corset. What seemed like toy guns were hanging from her hips and her clothes were tattered and dirty on purpose leaving very little to imagination. 

Baffled by this strange irregularity, he forgot to greet her, instead staring at the strange clothing. She explained herself almost right away.

"Master sometimes likes to play make believe with the servants and we are dressed this way for a whole day. We also sometimes put on a plays to entertain him."

He marvelled at the mentality of a man that regularly forces his servants to play pretend for him based on some strange fantasies. He looked away from Hannah's barely covered body to allow her some privacy, however she seemed completely unashamed of her state of dress and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"Is this a regular occurrence?"

He asked curiously and made way for the maid as she stepped inside the cell and started to prepare the table.

"It depends on the master's mood. He is…._quite unpredictable_."

He watched her silently as she prepared the plates and carefully brought the tea set from the large basket. Her movements were graceful and calming; he found himself relaxed observing the table setting ritual that became a routine over the past two weeks. 

"When am I going to meet him?" 

he asked, a question that he didn't want an answer to but at the same time needed to know. She stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. Her face looked determined and he had a feeling that whatever she was about to tell him would change everything.

Acting indifferent, he sat down behind the table and motioned for her to answer.

The woman opened her mouth.

"You will be presented to master Alois in two weeks and be given a name."

She opened her mouth as if to say more but unsure on how to phrase it. He found her words unusually formal but didn't dwell on it, instead distracted with the name she had never mentioned before.

"Alois?"

So, the master's name was Alois. Somehow this changed his perception of the man but only slightly. A tyrant that had a name was somewhat less scary that a nameless one. His pride forced his fears to be buried deep inside him and he tried to convince himself that he was not intimidated by the cruel master.

In front of him, Hannah softly touched her eye patch .

"It will be on master's birthday and you will be presented to him as a gift. You are kept here in secret to not…" she trailed of, considering her next words.

"…to not spoil the surprise."

"A gift?" he repeated with a hollow voice.

Heavy silence followed.

"Yes." She answered in the end.

He could tell that his stare was making her uneasy and she turned back to preparing the table, signalizing that the conversation was over.

For the first time since his awakening he seriously wondered about physically harming the woman to escape from the basement. He considered it for a while but dismissed the idea in the end; the timing wasn't right and he didn't have enough information about the rest of the mansion and the people that served there.

At least that's what he was telling himself. The truth was that he found himself extremely reluctant to harm Hannah. In his eyes, physically injuring her would be equivalent to Alois's harsh punishments and his pride would never allow him to be compared to the tyrant in such a way. Servants should be treated with respect.

He lifted the small tea cup and took a sip. Hannah's silence sounded almost grateful.


	2. Chapter 2

**0o0**

**Chapter two: Butler**

**0o0**

The routine of Hannah's visits was disrupted at the beginning of the third week when he was visited by a man.

He could tell something was different just by the sound of the footsteps. Hannah's uniform often consisted of painful looking high heels; he wondered if the shoe wear was chosen on purpose to make her suffer even during her master's absence. However the footsteps that echoed in the basement hall were more rhythmic and silent than usual. He immediately stood up from his bed and walked over to the edge of his cell.

As opposed to Hannah's almost comically frilly maid outfits the man was dressed formally in a black expensive looking suit. Something in his posture and attitude reminded him of his past yet he was positive they never met. The man was obviously the butler of the household and he mentally referred to him that way from now on.

"Who are you?"

he asked the butler with a hostile tone that he never used on the one eyed Hannah. The man in front of him adjusted his glasses and stepped closer, revealing his face from the shadows of the shelves.

"I've been told you have better manners."

Although he had a handsome face there was something in him that flawed the whole image. The boy could not put a finger on it but he felt threatened by him and his instincts told him to keep away. The butler had unnerving golden eyes that watched him with an almost inhuman intensity.

He briefly wondered if he was afraid of master Alois as well. Truthfully, he had hard time imagining the butler to be afraid of anyone.

He chose not to respond, instead he sat down on his chair and waited. The limitations he had with Hannah were long gone; he did not feel any sympathy or affection for this man and would therefore try to use the situation to his full advantage.

Obviously he couldn't physically overpower him; the butler was quite tall and the suit seemed to be hiding a well developed strong male body; however there were other ways to profit from this. For now he merely observed, wondering how the situation would play out.

"My name is Claude Faustus and I'm the butler of the Trancy household."

The golden-eyed man stated after a while and made his way to the front of the cell, facing him. The boy stood his ground, refusing to feel intimidated by the challenge and continued staring at Claude in a hostile manner.

He stayed silent knowing that the butler wanted him to speak.

"Very well." Claude sighed after a while, no doubt irritated by his behaviour and brushed his hair back in an infinitely patient manner.

"I'm here to teach you about master Alois and things that you and are not allowed to do in his presence. You will remember everything and repeat it to me at the end of the lesson. Do you understand?"

There it was. A clear challenge. The boy made sure that Claude saw his face before he turned around and sat himself back on the bed, facing the other way. He stayed silent.

"I will count to five." The butler said.

"One."

He wondered if Claude was allowed to injure him if he was to be given as a gift to their master.

"Two."

Most likely not.

"Three."

Perhaps something that doesn't bruise or show.

"Four."

Or maybe he would try to humiliate him in some other way.

"Five."

Their eyes met and Claude moved quickly. Swiftly opening the lock he walked inside and grabbed the boy by his arm with a speed of lightning. He didn't even know humans were able to move that fast.

There was no time to avoid the attack, he was already kneeling on the ground with his hands twisted behind his back with an iron grip. He cried out in surprise at the pain and then quickly silenced himself once again.

"Repeat after me." Claude stated in an emotionless voice. The boy grimaced in pain as the force on his arms intensified with the next words.

"I will do everything master Alois wants me to do."

As if he was saying that! Alois Trancy, the tyrant that punishes his servants by nearly choking them to death! Do everything he says?

"Repeat." The butler insisted. The boy gritted his teeth in pain and chose to wait it out. His pride would not allow him to give in to the stone faced butler's instructions even if it was easier.

Claude suddenly let him go and stood up.

"Wrong answer." He stated coldly and swiftly exited the cell. The boy set his aching hands into his lap and watched the butler disappear behind the shelves; his footsteps loudly echoed in the basement as he walked up the stairs.

Did he won? Could he dare to hope?

He stared at his hands with a blank expression as he thought about the pain he had experienced just a minute ago. The sensation was incredibly familiar and he realized that pain was probably something he used to experience a lot in his past life.

Pain.

He stood up in surprise when he heard footsteps descending down the stairs once again. This time, there were two pairs of feet; one quiet and determined ….and the other….high-heels…

Oh no.

His fears proved to be true when he saw Hannah walk quietly behind the butler's back; her eye focused on the ground as if she was a prisoner led to her execution. The boy felt a burning in his chest at the sight. Claude's golden eyes looked victorious.

"Now, I will ask you again." He said when they walked all the way to his cell, "If master Alois orders you to do something, your response is…?"

The boy glanced at Hannah and then back at the butler. The man could be merely bluffing, perhaps he was not allowed to hurt the maid but he found that extremely unlikely. After all Hannah was often covered in bandages and he didn't know if all those injuries were caused by the master of the house…

He didn't want to risk it. Hannah was the first person in his new life that treated him with kindness and respect. He was fond of her although he rarely showed it.

His pride howled at the humiliation but he knew he had lost.

"I will do everything master Alois wants me to do." He repeated. Claude nodded as if he was a teacher in school and was given the right answer.

"Good. Second rule. I will not, under any circumstances, upset master Alois."

"I will not upset master Alois."

"Third rule. I will always react pleasantly to master Alois' company, no matter what my personal feelings are."

"I will always react pleasantly to master Alois' company."

He focused on the fact that these were just words. Words held no power if he didn't mean them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**_: I do not own Kuroshitsuji_

_**AN**_: _So how do you like the story so far? I promise we will meet Alois in the next chapter._

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter three: Lessons**_

_**0o0**_

From that day on, Claude Faustus always accompanied Hannah in her visits to his cell as if he did not trust her with these simple tasks anymore. The boy found it annoying but never voiced his opinion; he didn't want the maid to get into trouble for him and Claude always made sure to remind him of the alternative, no matter how subtly.

He grew to despise the butler almost as much as the old man owning the mansion; Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus were almost merged in his mind and one man's action always reflected the other. Hannah was the passive victim in the situation and he felt strong responsibility for her, born from countless days of her servitude and submissive behaviour.  
He realized that he viewed her as a person that _belonged to him_; he the master and she the servant and this immediately triggered his protective nature. _Servants should always be treated with respect_, was engraved in his mind and he realized that was something he probably grew up with.

In his family's household servants were treated with respect. The thought made him proud for some reason.

In this way, each visit of his cell turned into a twisted fairytale of some sort with him as the trapped knight, Hannah as the kidnapped princess and Claude as the evil dragon. However there were no heroic attempts at a rescue, he knew better than that. He was mostly silent and soaked in any new information about the master of the house like a thirsty plant.

And there was plenty.

Claude's daily lessons that dictated his future life in the mansion revealed a lot about the Trancy household and the man that ruled it. Acts of violence were apparently a daily occurrence and often didn't need any encouragement or reason; this was perhaps what Hannah was talking about when she mentioned that her master was _unpredictable_.

Although Claude taught him many things, the boy wasn't entirely sure about his role in the Trancy mansion. It seemed that he was taken in purely to entertain their master and perhaps offer some sort of companionship. He wondered if he was to be a modern day equivalent of a jester of some kind and forced to perform tricks and dances.  
When he asked, Claude said that his role would be determined by the master. Although he's originally brought for entertainment purposes, master Alois could assign him to the kitchen or any other place in the house whenever he wanted. The boy didn't like this very much; it gave him a feeling that if Trancy got angry with him he would kill him off without a second thought.

Slowly but surely he realised why Hannah was so afraid. This mansion sounded crazy.

Claude said that there were certain things he should encourage whenever in their master's presence. Education, he said, was the most important. This instantly changed the boy's perception of the man; he imagined Alois as a bitter old man that received pleasure from hurting his servants. But now they were telling him he was still studying and this automatically made him younger, perhaps early twenties or late teens.  
A spoiled adolescent that refused to study. In some ways this fit more than the image of the old man from before; teens with their hormonal changes and frustrations and pent up energy tended to be extremely cruel especially when they had power over somebody. This realization made it worse somehow. Teen Alois Trancy was much more dangerous than an old one.

Claude confessed that they were having problems getting their master to study and that their initial plan is to make him into Alois' study partner. Essentially he would be attending his lessons with him and therefore raise his motivation. He was never to be allowed to have better marks than the master or be smarter in any way. The boy wondered how the butler knew he had any education to begin with but then realized that Hannah probably told him that he was able to write and he assumed that was enough.

However it seemed that education was only second on the top of the priority list. He was to above all entertain their master when he was bored or offer any kind of emotional response that was needed at the moment. Claude said that Alois had a certain fear of the dark and that he should never turn off the lights in his presence **under any circumstances**. He was also not allowed to sleep unless their master sleeps first even if not in the same room.  
All of this painted a picture of a paranoid cruel teen in his head that was neurotic and narcissist to the very core. He imagined him as an extremely skinny eighteen year old with long twitchy legs and arms and unhealthy shade of skin. The image was repulsive and hateful, especially when he reminded himself that he hit Hannah regularly, perhaps even sexually assaulting her.

How disgusting. He was to be a future companion to a monster.

And if Claude's rules were anything to go by_, act like he enjoyed it_.

He assumed that escaping once he was freed from the basement shouldn't be very complicated. Alois' unpredictability probably caused enough chaos in the mansion for him to escape any time he wanted. However he should wait until he learned more about his location and formed a proper escape plan that he was confident in. For now he would play along and repeat everything Claude said and do everything that was expected of him.

With this kind of mindset, the week slowly went by and the day of Alois' birthday drew nearer and nearer.

Until finally it was time.

Even if he wasn't told about it he would know that something was up right away. First of all, his bath was much longer than usual and Hannah used some sort of a scented oil that she never brought before; it had a faint smell of roses and vanilla and he disliked it right away. She also expertly cut his nails and put some sort of a lotion on his hands, then proceeded to put it on the rest of his body.

He was not usually embarrassed by her touch but Claude's presence made him uncomfortable, especially since he was aware of his eyes on his naked body. He decided to ignore him which is what he did usually and focused on Hannah instead.

"What day it is?" he asked as she spread the lotion on the length of his leg, up and down with gentle hands. She didn't look up, too focused on her task as she answered

"Saturday."

"What time?"

"Seven o'clock. It will be breakfast soon."

With a surprise he realized that his sleeping pattern was all wrong. He has been awake for quite some time and this was usually the time frame he assigned to lunch. He wondered if he would have trouble falling asleep when brought to the surface.

His stomach clenched at the thought. _Brought to the surface_. He would be able to see the sky again. The sun. It would be very bright. He wondered if they would let him out in the garden on the first day. He wanted to breathe the fresh air although he had hard time imagining how different it would feel.

"You will be presented to master Alois in the middle of his breakfast as a surprise."

Claude stated from the dark corner and made his way to the pair, putting some of the lotion onto his palm and bending a little to spread it over the boy's back.

He recoiled at the cool touch and glared at the expressionless butler with anger. He could feel Hannah's movements stop in alarm.

"Don't touch me."

He hissed quietly, vulnerable in his nakedness. Claude merely raised one eyebrow and responded coolly.

"We are already behind the schedule. Master Alois would be awakened in twenty minutes time and the breakfast would be served at eight o'clock. I'm able to speed the process if I help."

He wanted to tell him to stuff it, that he didn't care about time schedules and breakfast and whatnot. He didn't want to be touched by him but protesting any more would make him look scared and above all he didn't want to seem afraid of the man.

So he turned his face away and motioned for Hannah to continue with the process so that this would be all over soon.

Claude's cold, spider-like hands rubbed at his skin and he pretended he didn't mind.

When it was finally over he was seated on a chair and with his head pulled back, given a haircut by the butler. His hair, wet from the bath, was carefully brushed back and cut with silver scissors that were put on the nearby table. The man's hands were confident and skilled and it was obvious he had cut somebody's hair before, perhaps Alois' or some of the servants in the mansion.

His chin length locks was shortened considerably and after he brushed off all the stray hair he felt it up and found it to be cut to his ears. His vision was much better now that his fringe could be brushed to the side. He could see a lot more things from the corner of his eye.

He glanced at Hannah and she smiled at him with a gentle expression. In her hands were expensive looking clothes, perfectly ironed and folded. He blinked at her and then stood up.

Thankfully this time Claude stayed away as Hannah dressed him since it was really a process that required only one additional person. The outfit she brought him fit him perfectly and consisted of a dark blue west suit with black shorts that had vertical strips on them and blue stockings. This was all accompanied by a plain white undershirt and a patterned red bow around his collar.

When he was presented with dark blue shoes, he glanced at them uncertainly. He hadn't worn one of these since he had woken up again and wasn't sure if he was able to tie the shoe laces without embarrassing himself in front of the pair. However Hannah solved the problem for him; wordlessly she put them on his feet and tied the laces with skilled hands.

They too were a perfect fit.

She stepped back and looked at him with something akin to pride in her face.

"You look very handsome." She said with a smile. He wanted to smile back but his pride didn't allow him. Instead he nodded at her in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture and turned to face the butler.

Claude also seemed to be satisfied with the final outcome and looked him up and down in satisfaction. He then reached into his breast pocket and picked up a golden watch. After a short glance he put it back and stated

"It is time. I will go to the master's bedroom now, you stay here and wait for half an hour, then take him to the breakfast room. I hope there would be no more…_complications_."

The man added sharply, his golden gaze focused on Hannah's face. The boy moved protectively in front of the one eyed maid and this caused Claude to frown in confusion. However he quickly thought better of it and walked out of the cell with quick steps that led him to serve his still sleeping master and disappear from their sights.

He looked back at Hannah and sighed. Alone. It was a pleasure to have her for himself once again.

"Don't do anything reckless."

She said and took a few small steps towards him. She then sat down on his already made bed and after a short while, he walked over and joined her. She took his hand in her own and looked him in the eyes.

"Master Alois is very dangerous. Never let your guard down in front of him. He has…he has something very bad inside of him that makes him do all those horrible things. Grief and sadness…"

She clutched at his hand desperately and he frowned at her, not understanding how she could defend the monster of this house. Was it possible that Hannah's kindness reached so far?

"But he is not bad. Just…scared."

One of her hands softly touched the outline of her eye patch, as if deep in thought.

Fear.

What an ugly emotion. Something told him he knew it very well.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN**_: Ok, I lied. No Alois in this chapter. Next one. He needs a big entrance._

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter four: Sunlight**_

_**0o0**_

Adjusting to the light took much longer than he expected. Both of them were standing at the stairs for five minutes, completely silent and almost unmoving. Hannah had her hand on the door handle and was gently letting a single ray of sunshine into the darkness; one turned into two, two turned into three and three-

"-stop."

He ordered silently and she obediently stopped her movement to let him adjust. The boy was blinking at the light, forcing his gaze to stay focused on one spot without flinching. His eyes were red from the abuse and he could feel tears running down his cheeks; he didn't expect it to be so aggressively bright.

He took a few deep breaths to compose himself and opened his mouth to speak.

"Perhaps it would be better if we do this at one go."

He suggested. He could feel, rather than see Hannah nod and he braced himself, prepared to face the morning light after what seemed like eternity of darkness. Could a month spent underground permanently change his vision in such a way? Impossible but it certainly felt like something inside him was dying.

"Three, two…".

Hannah's gentle voice was somewhere to his right but he did not bother to open his wet eyes and check. He wondered if the woman would look different in the daylight, perhaps younger or less beautiful than by the light of a candle. Distracted by such thoughts he completely missed the maid's final countdown and therefore almost fell down the stairs when the harsh light mercilessly hit his face.

Bright. Too bright.

He suddenly recalled stories from his childhood, stories about blood sucking monsters that burst into flames at the touch of sunlight on their skin. Vampires and demons were only silly fantasies (demonsdemonsdemons his mind repeated back to him and he pondered at the familiarity of the word and the feelings associated with it) but this felt achingly real. Even with his eyes closed the pain was agonizing and it took all self control not to obey his basic instincts and cover his face with his shaking hands.

Bright…

However, gradually the pain subsided and he could breathe normally again. He started to be aware of his surroundings once again; he could feel wetness on his face and what he assumed to be Hannah's hand on his shoulder. He kept his eyes closed until he felt the last remains of the sharp pain disappear and then blinked unsurely, keeping his gaze lowered on the ground.

After a few minutes of this he lifted his face and fully glared at the morning light shinning through the windows. It wasn't as sunny as he expected. He took a few steps forward and looked at the heavy clouds in the sky. It wasn't sunny at all. No blue skies that he imagined in his cell but a harsh whiteness instead. Well, he thought bitterly, this _was_ England.

He mentally frowned at the thought.

Was it?

He couldn't tell.

"Is everything alright?" Hannah inquired after a while and spun around in surprise, completely forgetting that the woman was still there. Hannah's face looked a lot more tanned in the brightness of the day and her hair shined with an odd violet colour that complimented her complexion. He immediately looked down at his hands. They were extremely white in comparison.

"Yes…its fine."

He replied distractedly. The hallway they were standing in was luxuriously decorated with portraits and tasteful furniture that had a calming effect on the boy; he felt like he belonged in this world extravagance, like he was born there. Despite the initial pain, he realized that leaving the horrible underground was the best thing he had done since his strange awakening. Surrounded by the familiar luxury and meaningless objects he felt his confidence rise dramatically. He was in his element. He was the lord here.

Lord.

The word echoed in his head as if somebody had shouted it out loud. Yes my lord, the echo answered.

"If that's the case then we should go. Master Alois probably started his breakfast already."

Hannah responded and brushed the edge of her medical eye patch with the tip of her fingers. He looked at the familiar movement in wonder; that too seemed different when she did it in the morning light.

He nodded mutely, still in a daze from the new experience. It felt like being born again. He looked around himself in wonder.

Hannah started walking and after a moment of hesitation he followed. He looked down at his outfit as they turned a corner and marvelled at the difference. The colours were much more vibrant. The dark blue vest suit Hannah had dressed him in before was now rich sapphire, creating a contrast to the bloody bow around his neck. He tugged at it softly, making sure not to let it fall off. The silk was shining under the light from the windows.

Hannah said that he should recite the rules to her to make sure that he wouldn't forget anything and make master Alois upset as a result. The boy frowned at the request but obeyed anyway; he had an excellent memory and it wasn't really any trouble for him. Besides it seemed to put Hannah at ease and he didn't want her to feel responsible if something…_bad_ happened to him because he didn't follow the rules.

The hallways seemed never ending. The boy talked and tried to focus on the words and not on what awaited him at the end of their journey. He clutched his fist when he suddenly felt a painful need to take Hannah's hand to calm his nerves; his pride would never allow him to emotionally rely on somebody else and after a few more steps the impulse disappeared and he was once in control.

"-while he is present in the room and I will address him as master Alois unless he tells me otherwise."

He finished, counting the orders in his head to determine whether he listed the correct number of rules. He could tell that they were nearly at the end of their journey and it made all his thoughts gravitate around the psychotic teen owning the mansion. Alois Trancy. He remembered what Hannah said back in the cell. _'__He has…he has something very bad inside of him that makes him do all those horrible things. Grief and sadness…'_

Somehow, in the morning light of the unfamiliar mansion it didn't seem enough.

"!"

He barely avoided walking into Hannah who has abruptly stopped in the middle of the hallway. The boy glanced up at her and then at the big door waiting at the end. Like a slap in the face he realized-_we're here_. He glanced back at Hannah. Her figure looked alien when she was standing still like that; as if she was some kind of an otherworldly creature that hid her powers inside her very being; an angel perhaps. No, not an angel. He didn't like to think of angels. It made his head hurt and he could not afford headache at this crucial moment.

He stared at the maid surrounded in the morning light until she looked back at him and pointed at her ever-present eye patch. She smiled.

"You missed one."

He could feel the light burning into his skin. He forced himself not to think of the implications.

"I will not look master Alois directly in the eye unless he tells me otherwise."

"Correct."

She continued walking until she was standing in front of the door.


	5. Chapter 5

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter five: Happy birthday**_

_**0o0**_

He joined Hannah and stood beside her next to the large door. They could hear muted noises coming from the other side; angry voices and something like glass shattering on the floor. He tore his eyes away from it and glanced at the maid. It seemed that she was waiting for a good time to enter the room.

The boy turned back to the door and listened. The more he heard the more apparent it was that the shouting was done only by one person. The voice was more high pitched than he imagined, a young boy from the sound of it; was this the master himself or was there a guest invited?

Another crash.

He blinked as he saw Hannah's hand reach for the door handles. He couldn't fathom how she thought this was a good time for them to enter.  
He followed her as she stepped inside, holding the doors wide open.

"I don't care how you do it JUST DO IT!"

His eyes followed an ornamented tea cup as it was thrown against the wall and shattered into pieces. He looked up at the long table and surveyed the scene before him.

There were four other servants present in the room. Claude was standing nearby the table, his posture straight and professional with his hands behind his back. His golden eyes immediately turned to them the moment they entered the room but he didn't move or gave any indication that they should move closer.

The three other servants were standing near the other side of the table in a perfect row and the boy's eyes widened as he realized that they were completely identical, _perfect triplets_. They, like the rest of the servants hired by Alois Trancy, were young and attractive and he started to see a pattern there somewhere and pondered over his place in it.

The first two of the three were impossible to tell apart, down to the length of their hair and shape of their lips. It was only the third one that stood out; half of his face had angry red marks on them and his hair and clothes were dripping wet. The boy assumed he was splashed with a hot liquid, breakfast tea no doubt. He marvelled at the teen's self control; he stood next to his siblings with the cool of a professional and gave no indication that he was in pain. However the boy could see the skin on his face grow redder from the burning, spreading to his ear and neck. He wondered if it would leave him scarred forever.

_Just like Hannah._

The last person in the room was a blonde standing on the top of the table wearing a flashy purple coat that looked inappropriate to be wearing indoors. His back was turned to him so the boy couldn't see his face; however even from this angle he could tell he was much younger than he expected. Alois Trancy. The master of the mansion.

There was a sickening crack as the blonde stepped on a glass decoration in the shape of a bird. He kicked it off the table with a snarl.

"Write an invitation, go there personally - I don't care! Make yourself useful for once!"

The triplets looked at each other with identical expression of alarm on their faces and bowed politely. However the blonde didn't give them time to complete the gesture and grabbed a half shattered plate from under his foot, throwing it at their exposed backs.

"What are you waiting for? GET OUT!"

They moved quickly and silently. The boy could see one of them cradling a bloody arm and his own hand twitched in sympathy at the injury. He and Hannah stepped away to let them through and he tried to catch the eye of the burned teen to try and guess what he was thinking but found it impossible as they didn't look their way once.

The door was shut and the room was enveloped by silence. Hannah put a hand on his shoulder.

"What a start of a day, Claude."

The blonde on the table sighed in irritation and the boy couldn't agree more. The butler adjusted his glasses and offered one hand to help his master jump down from the table. He took it wordlessly and gracefully hopped back onto the floor, the purple cloak swishing in the air. He landed facing the closed door and his eyes widened as he spotted the pair standing in silence.

The boy mirrored his reaction as each of them carefully examined the other.

Alois Trancy was very much different from the image he had in his head. He had the androgynous look of a boy before he entered puberty; perhaps thirteen or fourteen, he seemed a bit taller than him although that might have been because of the high heels on his boots.

His fair complexion complimented his blonde hair and blue eyes; they were an icy blue colour that made them uncomfortable to look at for a longer period of time. Except for the colour arrangement, his clothes were nearly identical to the boy's, in fact they probably belonged to him from the very beginning and the servants secretly took them to the basement because of their similar body measurements.

Alois was looking at him with an intense gaze of a researcher observing a new animal species that had never been discovered before. The boy felt uncomfortable at such an unashamed stare but didn't let it show; to show fear would be the biggest mistake in this situation. He needed to get the upper hand in this relationship; to dominate over Alois from the very beginning so he wouldn't become one of the victims of his crazy behaviour.

Their staring was interrupted by Claude's words.

"Happy birthday, master Alois." He said in such a monotone voice that even the cheerful meaning of the phrase was killed in the process. Alois looked at him in shock and then back at boy.

"You mean…you managed to get me…"

"The boy standing by the door is to be your new study partner. You have often expressed your irritation with having no -"

"OH MY GOD!"

the blonde shouted with excitement and skipped over to the pair by the door. The boy blinked in surprise at the rather dramatic change; it was hard to imagine Alois hurting anyone when he had such a happy smile on his face. He continued staring in puzzlement as the excited boy skipped around him in an extremely childish manner.

"Is this for real? I don't even know how you managed to…oh, Claude he's PERFECT! What a fantastic surprise!"

Alois clapped his hands in joy and stepped extremely close to the boy, pressing his body uncomfortably against his own as he peered at his face.

"You have the most beautiful eyes."

he whispered softly, smiling as if this was some sort of a secret they now shared together. His eyes however immediately hardened when they glanced over his shoulder.

"Get your dirty hands off, bitch."

he ordered with a cold voice. The boy shuddered at the instant change in his attitude and recalled Hannah's words about her master's _unpredictable_ behaviour and the danger of it. He was starting to understand how things worked in this mansion; everyone at mercy of their master's mood swings and bipolar behaviour. It made him angry just thinking about it.

The woman's hand immediately disappeared and was now replaced by Alois' as he put it around both of his shoulder in an overly friendly manner. His other hand rose up to the boy's cheek, no doubt with the intention of touching it when it was stopped midway by a firm grasp on his wrist.

Alois looked down at his hand, then back at him in surprise.

"Don't touch my face as you please."

said the boy. He was pleased that his tone came out as authoritative as he intended and he firmly lowered the blonde's hand back down. Alois blinked in astonishment, looking as if he didn't quite believe what he had heard. Well, he would have to adjust then, thought the boy. It was extremely important to establish his dominance from the very beginning.

The nameless boy waited tensely for the blonde's reaction and he could feel Claude's and Hannah's eyes on them in the silence of the room. Then, Alois blinked a few times as if awakened from a dream and burst out laughing.

The boy's heart nearly collapsed from relief at the sound.

"Hahaha, where did you get him, Claude! He's amazing! Hahahahaha!"

He leaned against him for support as he continued to laugh and the boy let him, glad that his order wasn't challenged and nobody got hurt. His eyes met Hannah's across the room and he saw that she was smiling; he wondered what went through her head that made her so happy.

Even Claude's normally impassive face appeared satisfied. They were both probably glad that the master's reaction to his new present was so positive.

He wondered how long that would last.


	6. Chapter 6

**AU**_: There is no such thing as corin pears. I LIED._

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter six: ADMIT IT**_

_**0o0**_

"Aren't you hungry? There's loads of food here."

After calming down a little, Alois appeared even happier with his new playmate than before. The boy found himself half pushed, half dragged by the young master towards the big dining table that was currently being cleaned by both Hannah and Claude with an alarming speed. He didn't even know that human hands could move so fast, it was unbelievable.

Completely oblivious to the boy's amazement, Alois pushed him down onto the nearest of the chairs and grabbed one of the unbroken plates from the centre. His eyes were shining with excitement as he began putting various types of food on it for the boy to taste.

"You have to have these…and maybe some milk with it? Or hot chocolate? I can't stand that coffee stuff, it's so disgusting and tea is just so boring you know?...And how about pears? Would you like some pears? You know these types are very hard to come by, I forgot the name , what were they called again, Claude?"

"Corin pears, master."

"Yes, corin pears; it costs a fortune to get them to England but I just really like them! Also you should try some of these tiny cakes; the pink ones taste the best! Oh, or maybe you just want some eggs?"

The boy looked down at the plates full of food that were put in front of him; one filled after another as the blonde chatted away with a happy smile on his face. The boy's stomach demanded food as it was trained to eat a full course meal every day at this hour for the past month. He picked up the silver cutlery and looked at Alois.

"I think this is enough, thank you."

he said politely. He saw Claude give him a look from across the table but decided to ignore it; the butler had no control over him now that he was out of the basement. It was all up to the master of the house and Alois beamed down at him and sat on the table uncomfortably close to his place ; his skinny feet dangling in the air.

"So, what's your name?" he asked and reached down to play with the boy's dark hair. He didn't pause his chewing to tell him off; the blonde was only harmlessly touching him and not causing any pain. He did find the question incredible awkward, though. How to…?

"He does not have one yet, master. The boy has no memories of his life before we took him in."

'_Before we took him in'_. He wondered where Claude found him and whether his amnesia really was a coincidence. It was possible that he had his memories erased on purpose to become a blank doll for their master to play with. Nobody wanted second-hand goods.

Is it possible? It probably could be done.

The more he thought about it the more convinced he became. He didn't _lose_ his memories- they were _erased_.

"Ooooh!" Alois cried out in surprise and continued stroking his hair. He seemed to be fascinated by it.

"You really don't remember anything?"

"Nothing." The boy admitted nonchalantly, although inside he was bitter with his recent realization. How could it have never occurred to him before? He looked at Hannah who was cleaning the other end of the table with a blank face. Could she be a part of this as well?

She could. She probably was.

No, no, he was way ahead of himself. There is an equal chance that the amnesia really was just a coincidence. He doubted all of the servants in this mansion had their memories erased.

Or did they?

With a growing horror, the boy realized that he never bothered to _ask_.

"Where are you from, your name…?"

"Nothing." He repeated coldly. The blonde's expression morphed into one of sympathy and his right hand joined the other one to caress his head from both sides. The boy looked down at his food with exasperation. He couldn't eat with the blonde touching him like that.

"That has to be horrible. Where did you stay until now?"

There was silence that was finally cut off by Claude.

"He was staying in the basement, master."

Alois' hands froze in his hair at the words and his eyes went cold as he shot a dark look at his butler.

"Did I ask _you_, Claude?"

A sudden tension accumulated in the room and the boy shifted on his seat uncomfortably. His eyes met Hannah's from across the table. Claude gave a small bow.

"No, you did not. I apologize, master."

"Whatever." Alois shot back and turned his attention back to the boy. The caress continued.

"Was it really bad there? Were you treated right? If I knew they kept you there I would have taken you out right away; of course you'll stay with me from now on I can show you my bedroom after you're done eating- the bed there is HUGE! You can probably fit twenty people in there!"

The boy lifted his head at the questions in alarm; above all he didn't want Hannah to get in trouble because her master thought she was mistreating or starving him down there. He wanted to show her in the best possible light and thought about his answer for a while, choosing the right words.

"I wasn't treated badly at all. Hannah took care of me very well and brought me as much food as I wanted. She often kept me company when I ate too. "

He wanted to add something but was at loss for words. He wasn't used to complimenting people; he didn't really know what else to say. However from Alois' face it was clear that he said more than enough. His icy blue eyes had a _furious_ look in them. The boy flinched at the sight and dropped his fork.

"**WHAT?" **

His plate shook as Alois pumped his fist on the table in rage. After he was given no answer he pushed himself off the table and made his way around it; his blonde locks shining in the light reflected by the broken glass scattered on the floor. It was clear that his angry steps were leading him to the maid.

"**HANNAH COULD GO TO HIM BUT I COULDN'T? SHE TOOK CARE OF HIM?"**

"M-master Alois, it was supposed to be a surprise…"

"**YOU JUST WANTED HIM FOR YOURSELF, DIDN'T YOU? YOU SLUT!" **

The loud slapping noise echoed in the whole room and the boy could only stare in utter shock at the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.

"**YOU TOOK CARE OF HIM SO THAT HE WOULD LIKE YOU, you, you SAD, pathetic…!"**

Another slap. The boy's feelings of shock started to get slowly replaced by a familiar warm feeling in his chest. His grip on the knife tightened as he watched the maid's helpless face being slapped from side to side.

"**YOU WANT HIM FOR YOURSELF, DON'T YOU? ADMIT IT! ADMIT THAT YOU WANT HIM!"**

Slap.

"**SAY IT!"**

Slap.

"**SAY IT-"**

"_**ENOUGH!"**_

Utter silence.

The blonde stopped his hand in mid air and faced him. Hannah's eyes dropped to the ground as she tried to hide her tears. Claude's cold gaze surveyed the scene emotionlessly.

The boy let go of the knife that was now buried deep in the centre of the table.

"I'm done eating. Didn't you say you wanted to show me your bedroom?"

When there was still silence, he added "Well? Are you?"

Alois beamed at him and with a last slap let Hannah collapse on the ground. She clutched her face, hiding her teary eyes from their view. The blonde paid her no attention as he skipped over to his new toy.

"Are you sure you ate enough? Let's just take a few of these pears in case we get hungry." He grabbed a few of the gleaming fruits from the bowl, approvignly eyeing the silver knife buried in the table. "I don't feel like asking Claude for them later."

The boy tried to hide his beating heart behind a façade of indifference, consciously aware of the cold sweat running down his back. He could not remember ever being this scared. This…person was crazy. Unstable. Psychotic. Dangerous. _Deranged_.

"Here, take these two." The blonde pushed the pears into his hands and smiled apologetically when he saw his pale face.

"Oh, I'm sorry you had to witness that. Hannah is just…_so impossible_ sometimes. Don't worry, she won't bother you again. I will take care of you from now on!"

The blue eyes looking at him were full of affection and the arm around his shoulders was gentle and warm. How could this beautiful boy be the same person that shamed his servants in such a way? He couldn't understand. He didn't _want_ to understand. It was much easier to ignore the danger when Alois whispered questions into his ear with a voice of an excited child and the hand around his shoulders drew gentle circles onto his back.

But Hannah's crying face was etched into his mind's eye and with it her words:

_"Master Alois is very dangerous. Never let your guard down in front of him."_

He would not be fooled.


	7. Chapter 7

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter seven: Tea time**_

_**0o0**_

The boy always assumed that holding hands was something that was reserved for affectionate lovers or little girls. The feel of Alois' hand firmly gripping his was extremely warm and uncomfortable. His subtlety long gone, the boy tugged at it, trying to free himself but it was no use; it was as if Alois found his resistance amusing and even felt encouraged by it. It was ridiculous.

On the way up, the young master started discussing the subject of names.

"Right! So I have to name you!"

"Yes." He replied bitterly and let the blonde dominate the conversation. He found himself too distracted by the pale hand firmly holding onto his own.

"You really don't remember it?" Alois demanded and turned to look at him with a serious look on his face. The boy blinked at the sudden tension and wished he could move a few steps away; however the hand clutching his prevented any movement.

"No." he answered sharply trying to keep his anger in check. How many times would the blonde make him say it? Alois looked at him with a bitter look on his face and turned away, continuing their journey to the bedroom. His voice was dark as he said

"Names don't mean anything, anyway. It's just what other people call you but it's not who you _are_."

He looked back at him with an intense look.

"Do you get what I'm saying?"

Surprised at the unfamiliar side of the young master, the boy returned the gaze while thinking about the meaning of the words. He understood and fundamentally agreed with the concept. These kinds of ideas were very familiar to him.

"A man chooses his own destiny." He said in the end.

Alois' cold eyes continued sombrely looking into his own until he broke into a smile and nodded.

"That's right! I think people should have the right to name themselves and choose who they want to be." His childish giggle ruined the wisdom of the words and the boy nearly jumped when he felt his hand being playfully squeezed.

"And that's why you're going to name yourself!"

With these words they arrived at the bedroom and the boy looked around with a decidedly unimpressed look on his face while he marvelled at the beauty on the inside. It was impossible to compare his underground cell with the master bedroom of the house- it was like trying to compare a dog house with a castle. Perhaps the most eye-catching think about the bedroom was the huge bed on their right; Alois was clearly not joking when he said that you could fit around twenty people on it.

The boy blinked as he felt his hand being released and turned to the blonde.

"Name myself?"

"Exactly! I'm going to list some names and you can pick up whichever one you like."

He frowned at the cheery answer in confusion. That was unexpectedly … considerate. This side of Alois Trancy was becoming more and more likeable however he knew better than to get used to it. He watched the older boy as ran up to his huge bed and jumped on it with surprising elegance. He ended up sprawled in the middle and rolled over until he rested on his side with his right hand supporting his head.

"Come here." Alois ordered with half-lidded eyes, as if amused.

The nameless boy wondered whether obeying the simple order was the best course of action. The request itself was straightforward and he saw no shame in fulfilling it however he didn't want to give Alois the impression that he would obey every little order.

In the end he decided to take it easy; it was better to obey while the commands were painless and without any consequences. He was sure that he would be facing much harder decisions later.

"You're too sloooow!" Alois moaned and made an exasperated face at his pet's indecisiveness. With a few quick steps and a silent sigh the boy sat down on the edge of the huge bed and looked at the blonde, as if to say _'What now?_'.

"Lie down with me." Alois commanded with a smile.

"No." Came the answer almost instantly.

"Lie doooown."

"No, I don't see the point in doing it."

"Aargh, you're no fun, come on lie dooown!"

"NO…Ah, stop tugging at-"

"Just come a little closer then, I can't talk with you if-"

"I can hear you just fine, urgh! I said stop-"

"You're doing this on purpose-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Both boys froze at the loud knock on the door and everything was still. Alois was clutching his west with a possessive grip and the nameless boy's hands were pressed against the blonde's chest, in the process of pushing him off. Both teens frozen in this position stared on as the door quietly opened and Claude's tall figure appeared behind it.

"I brought you tea, master."

The butler showed no surprise or emotion at the strange scene he walked on in the bed and he looked as serious and professional as ever. In his hand was a tray with two cups of tea accompanied by a matching plate full of decoratively arranged pastry. The boy's mouth watered at the sight; he was quite hungry since his breakfast was interrupted by Alois' crazy behaviour.

As if noticing his hunger, Claude walked through the door and carefully closed it behind him. The moment it was shut, Alois started to do something that the boy was getting quite familiar with; shouting at his servants.

"Claude, WHAT are you doing in here? We just had breakfast and drank your bloody tea!"

The tall man immediately stopped in his way to the bed and stood straight, emotionless as ever. The boy felt no pity for this servant and didn't plan to interrupt the young master in any way; quite the contrary, he was enjoying seeing that hateful man being reprimanded in such a childish manner. He could still remember Claude's cold fingers on his naked back as he rubbed the lotion on him. In many ways it was much worse than when he twisted his hand behind his back on their first meeting; pain was somehow much more dignified.

"I merely assumed-"

"Do I look like I care what you _assumed_? I don't want anyone coming in here while I'm enjoying myself with-"

Alois seemed at loss for words for a second as he glanced at the boy he was holding

"-with my new present and how can I do that when NOBODY LEAVES ME ALONE!"

The boy found himself half-grinning as he noticed that the butler tensed even more and took one step back as if to leave.

"I apologize, master."

"That doesn't change anything! I'm sick and tired of you idiots, you can never do anything RIGHT!"

Alois' accent seemed to be getting thicker and thicker the angrier he got and the boy was surprised to find that he sounded like he belonged to a lower class. How interesting. The boy wondered about the story behind it.

"Ah, you guys are making me all angry on my birthday…" Alois seemed to be slowly calming down and the boy could feel the fingers clutching his vest start to tug at it again. Not expecting the motion he lost his balance and fell down right into the master's lap. He could feel two warm hands over his back as Alois hugged him closer.

"I would inform the rest of the staff then, master."

"Yeah you do that."

Alois mumbled into the boy's hair, his breath hot on his scalp. He shifted awkwardly at the touch but didn't move or give any indication of his discomfort; he was patiently waiting for the right time to do what he wanted for two weeks now. The possessive hands around him tightened as he felt Alois nuzzle his cheek like a cat. The touch was…strange.

"Very well. I would leave you to your business now, master." Claude stated politely and elegantly turned around, one of his hands reaching for the golden handle on the door. The boy's eyes widened at the action and his fingers twitched with nervousness as he said

"Wait."

Claude's hands stopped midway and he turned to face the pair again. His eyes had a curious look on them.

"Leave the tray here." The boy ordered and took a deep breath to steady himself. He didn't know if this was taking things too far; would Alois allow him to command his servants so early in the game? After all, he was clearly not seeing him as his equal-just now he referred to him as a 'present'.

He could feel the blonde's head tilt curiously next to his at the command. Claude too didn't know what to do. There was a long silence as all three of them seemed to be frozen in time until Alois started to pet his arm with long careful strokes and said

"Well? What are you waiting for? You heard him, Claude."

The boy could almost faint from relief. He couldn't believe Alois would let him go that far on his first day. Clearly he underestimated the power of his obsession and how far he would go to satisfy it. With this a new idea formed in his head: how far would Alois allow him to go with this?

He decided that now would be the perfect time to test it.

"Alois, your butler is really annoying." He said with a conversational tone and leaned against the boy, forcing his nervous body to relax at the strange stroking.

"He is, isn't he? Always with that stony face…" Alois mumbled back as he buried his face into the boy's neck. He could feel shivers going violently up and down his body and decided never to allow him to do such a thing in the future _ever again_; however it would ruin the whole thing if he put a stop to it right now.

"I think he should be punished." He whispered back and Alois' head lifted up at the words. As if he could hear them from his position by the table, Claude's head also turned towards them.

"Don't you agree?"

He could feel blue eyes on him and continued to hold his ground, not allowing even the tiniest of his doubts to show. Alois' stroking stopped and his gaze was unfocused as if he was imagining something very amusing; his smile widened with every second that passed. Then his hands linked themselves from across the boy's stomach like he was holding a teddy bear and he called out with laughter

"Claude, come here for a second."


	8. Chapter 8

_**AN: Nothing much happens in this one. But Ciel should get his name in the next one.**_

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter eight: Yes, your highness**_

_**0o0**_

Claude's footsteps were steady and deliberately slow; it was perhaps this that made him aware that the butler overheard their little conversation. He felt a sudden need to mess up that emotionless look on the man's face and furiously wondered about the best possible punishment that could bring such satisfying results. However it was hard.

First of all, he never ever saw the butler show even a hint of doubt for these past two weeks and it seemed like nothing was able to penetrate that cold barrier of ice. The man seemed to have an almost inhumane control that the boy envied on some level and wished to call his own; he too like Hannah seemed supernatural and out of place in this world.  
Second of all, even though he got Alois' permission he wasn't sure how much damage he could inflict before the master decided to interpret it as a personal insult to himself; it was very unlikely but then again he had no idea how Alois' logic worked, it was irrational, impulsive, unpredictable.

He was confident that the blonde would not hurt him at the moment, however if he punished Claude too harsh perhaps he would fall out of favour and end up being sent back to that horrible basement. And now that he got the taste of the real world he could not leave it behind, it would be unbearable. Sunlight flowing from the windows, carpet dancing with colours and patterns underneath his feet…he could not imagine living without these luxuries now.

"Yes, master?"

Claude asked as he stood in front of the two figures on the bed, the older boy clutching the younger to his chest. He could feel Alois smirk into his neck.

"It seems that my new present is not satisfied with your services. Maybe you could explain why?"

The butler opened his mouth to answer but was cut off before he could utter a word. It seemed that the blonde had no patience for excuses.

"Doesn't really matter. Anyway, I decided to punish you and I think it would be very…amusing if _he_ did it." The boy could feel his arm being tightly squeezed at the 'he' part. He was quite surprised at the strength of the grip; Alois was obviously much stronger than he appeared. This information somewhat unsettled him.

"Mast-"

"SHUT UP AND DO AS HE SAYS. **THAT'S AN ORDER**."

The boy flinched at the harsh words and nearly lost his balance again if it wasn't for the strong grip keeping him in the master's lap. Then suddenly he felt a strange sensation on the lower part of his neck; warm and wet and very brief…

With disgust he realized that it was Alois' tongue. He was _sticking out his tongue_ out to Claude.

The action itself wasn't unusual (although incredibly childish). However it was Claude's reaction to it that raised the boy's interest. The butler flinched a little as if hit by an invisible force and lowered his back for a bow that seemed almost forced. When he looked up, his eyes were an angry red colour that sent shivers flying up and down the boy's back.

_Yes, my lord. YesmylordYESmyLORDyes,my lord_

He heard the words echo in his head, accompanied by inhuman red eyes gazing into his very soul. I order, you serve. I'm the master, you're the servant. I name, you deliver. And in return…

When he looked again, the red eyes were gone. No words left Claude's lips; obeying Alois' command to be silent.

The boy blinked at the strange vision he just witnessed. Such powerful crimson eyes…he saw them before he was sure of it. Was it possible that he met Claude in his past life? Somewhere in his memory there was a vision of a dark figure kneeling before him in this very exact manner. A mix of contradicting emotions hit him all at once; fear, safety…distrust, and terror, terror, terror…

The boy looked away from the kneeling butler in alarm. He was suddenly extremely aware of the danger he was in. Claude was powerful, his past self warned him, more powerful than you could ever imagine. He was not human but something else.

The boy wondered if the man possessed the power to erase person's memories. To empty his soul like it was an old box and replace it with emptiness that provided no answers or explanations…Was that kind of a thing even possible?

'_Yes'_, his shattered memories whispered back to him with an amused laugh '_once a contract is made, they are able to do virtually __**anything**__._'

Contract?

"Well, any ideas?" Alois purred into his ear, successfully interrupting all of his previous thoughts as he hugged the boy even closer to himself. He couldn't quite get used to the sensation of being enveloped by another person's body heat; his instincts were telling him to stay away.

"I do have one." he replied and turned his head to face the young master. His first thought was to involve Hannah in some way so that she can enjoy Claude's humiliation and pain but then he realized that bringing her name up wasn't a good idea. He didn't want to risk getting her into more trouble again. Hannah was his responsibility from now.

That of course didn't mean that he couldn't humiliate him for his own personal satisfaction. Claude needed to be taught a lesson and not only because of his unacceptable behaviour but also because his past self was telling him that Claude must to be dealt with immediately or things would get out of hand. Which led him to his next problem.

"Don't say it out loud, just whisper it."

Claude _was_ dangerous. The flash of red eyes made him sick with fear and his past self, almost like a different persona entirely, warned him that he should avoid the butler at all costs until he was protected once again. What was meant by protection however, the boy did not know.

He leaned closer and whispered his request. Alois' lips curved into a smile as he listened.

"We should punish Claude more often, it's fun!"

The blonde hopped off the bed with one elegant movement and the boy felt the absence of heat almost immediately. He was glad that he chose such a childish form of discipline on Claude; Alois seemed to like it and it wasn't serious enough to be considered a direct challenge to Claude. He didn't want to challenge him. His past self warned him that even thought he would be able to win some fights in his current condition, he would not be able to win the war.

"So that's it, Claude. I forbid you from using your hands for the rest of the day! Hehehe!"

So stupid, so childish. The boy slowly came to realize that those were the kind of things Alois enjoyed. The punishment itself was very light; the master didn't want to see his servant for the most of the day anyway so Claude would act normally while on his own. But something in the man's eyes and the way he bowed down told him that was not the case. He could not possibly…he was taking the order literally…

"Yes, your highness."

_Your lord Your lord Your lord Your lord Your lord Your lord CIEL!_

The boy flinched at the massive headache building in his forehead and turned away from the familiar scene. He couldn't explain it but he was almost 100 percent positive that Claude would not dare to use his hands today whether or not his master was present. What kind of power was that? To make somebody obey so absolutely…

To be able to control such a monster as Claude, who _was_ Alois Trancy?

"And now get out. I don't want to see you here until lunchtime."

"Yes, master."

With his hands elegantly positioned behind his back, the butler left without another word. The door was silently closed and they were alone once again.


	9. Chapter 9

_**0o0**_

_**Chapter nine: Lonely**_

_**0o0**_

"Henry?"

"No."

"Adam?"

"No."

"Christopher?"

"No."

"What about…Samuel?"

"No."

They haven't left the bed for the remainder of the day. Although he hasn't voiced his thoughts, the boy was secretly glad; the time spent in the basement took its toll on him and he was feeling sleepy and slightly disoriented. His internal clock was telling him it was time to go to sleep while his eyes still slightly burned at the intense brightness of his surroundings.

True to his word, Claude had yet to show up, instead their lunch was delivered by the triplets who left immediately after serving the food. The boy was shocked when he realized that the last of the brothers had no trace of burns on his face. Surely he could not have healed so quickly? This whole mansion and all of its inhabitants seemed to defy the rules of reality it seemed. He tried not to think too much about it.

The meal was delicious as usual, if not slightly spoiled by Alois' ridiculous demands to feed him or be fed in return (these requests stopped immediately after he managed to 'accidentally' hit him with a dessert fork). After that the young master continued with the 'name game' and they returned back to the bed and talked. Somewhere during the conversation Alois curled himself around him like a big female cat protecting her young; his limbs keeping him in place like some sort of an organic bondage. He tried to move away a lot of times however Alois always found a way to tangle them up together again and after a while it didn't seem to matter anymore. With his stomach full and his head telling him it was time to sleep, the boy found himself in a sort of half-awakened state that was only reinforced by the soft pillow underneath his aching head.

Alois on the other hand seemed almost fully awake and demonstrated this by playing around with the boy's clothes, tugging or caressing the individual fabrics with his pale hands. He would occasionally stop in a middle of a sentence, press his face into the boy's neck and take a deep long breath. After that he would lean away again and continue talking as if nothing happened.

Somewhere during their talk, Alois had managed to take of the boy's red collar bow and put it around his small wrist. After that it moved to his other wrist, then the top of his vest and finally ended up tied to his hair at the side. The boy let it stay there for the time being since he didn't really care; he was fully prepared to take it off when another one of Alois' servants came into the room.

"I thought that was a nice name."

"Well it's not."

"Do you think Alois is a nice name?"

The boy stiffened at the question, not sure what was the expected answer. Was this a delicate subject for the blonde? Was a negative answer allowed? His head hurt just thinking about it and he groggily leaned against the pillow trying to block out the harsh sunlight coming from the windows.

"It's pleasant." he said in the end.

He was feeling so light-headed and exhausted but could not allow himself to sleep because of his paranoid nature. Left unconscious in Alois Trancy's hands…God knows what could happen.

"I think so as well…Maybe you can be Alois too and then we would be twins!"

"I think not."

How strange their position was at the moment. The blonde was playing around and readjusting the boy's clothes, petting him here and there with soft touches while he lay in the middle of the giant bed like a king. To a stranger's eye, it would look like Alois was the pet and the boy was the master.

He had trouble remembering what they were talking about anymore. How much time had passed? Ah, the harsh light was gone now. Was it evening already or somebody came in and closed the curtains? Maybe it was Alois but the warmth possessively wrapped around his whole body never left and he would have noticed…Or would he?

"Jack?"

"Hmm…"

"Ronald?"

"Hmm…"

He was suddenly consciously aware of one of Alois' hands reaching down and crawling under his shirt with his soft fingers. The touch was hot like fire. He immediately shifted away.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked quite calmly. Being calm and reasonable was important, his tired mind advised him. Logic is the only weapon against madness.

"I like you." The blonde answered matter-of-factly.

"I told you before, don't touch me however you like." The boy responded with glaring eyes. Alois stopped his movements at the harsh words and there was something vulnerable and childish in his gaze as he stared down at his present.

"I like you a lot you know, you have the most amusing reactions…but I'm sort of impatient right now so…"

"Didn't you hear me? I said stop touching me!" the boy shouted with the most confident voice he could muster and his small heart started beating like crazy. Was he in trouble? Did he bite off more than he could chew? Was this the time the tables turned?

"LOOK." Alois grasped him painfully by his throat and the boy let out a choked cry of surprise.

"I have been very nice to you so far…" he weakly struggled under the blonde as he slowly started to realize this was a real threat "…but the time for play is OVER. You should know your place."

"-get OFF!"

There was a brief struggle as the two boys wrestled against each other on the bed. Being so close in age and height, the boy found it easy to overpower the blonde and push him off however once a serious fight began Alois got vicious and the boy found himself underneath him once again.

"Stop fighting me!"

"Nghh…" He freed one of his hands and brutally yanked the blonde by his hair; there was a loud cry and Alois gave him a nasty slap. The boy shut his eyes at the stinging pain.

"Why are you making me hurt you! I don't want to hurt you! You're supposed to be SPECIAL!" Alois shouted in his face with desperate eyes that seemed to be glowing in the settling darkness of the room.

He didn't pay attention to the words, instead focused on the master's movements and tried to find a weakness or an opening of some sorts. The moment finally presented itself when Alois lifted on his hands to his face-

"I don't think so!"

BAM

Alois was pushed off the bed.

BAM

The boy jumped onto him.

BAM

There came one punch.

BAM

There went another.

His hits were amateurish and extremely inexperienced; it was clear from the first punch that the boy never properly beaten up anyone in his life. His hand throbbed at the pain and he was aware that his grasp and technique was all wrong; however it must have somewhat effective because Alois was bleeding from the mouth and his face was full of tears. Deciding this was enough the boy stood up from the master and slowly distanced himself with quiet movements. Once again he wasn't sure what Alois' reaction would be.

The blonde was clutching at his face and the room was full of his soft sobs. His young body was curled up in a ball.

"How fucking dare you."

He couldn't hear him at first but then he repeated the sentence and the boy took a wary step back. The fact that he couldn't see Alois' face made him uncomfortable.

"HOW FUCKING DARE YOU HIT ME?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you-"

"-ENOUGH! ENOUGH WITH THAT ATTIDUTE! YOU BELONG TO ME NOW AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!"

"No."

"TO HELL WITH YOU!"

Alois' finally stood up and with his hair sticking out at weird angles and bloody face looked like some sort of a crazy person. The boy reminded himself not to show his fear and held his head up high. It was important to remain dominant.

"You were supposed to be special but I see you're just like the rest of them! So from now on you're gonna be TREATED like the rest of them!"

Was this it? IS he going to be punished and tortured like the rest of the servants in this crazy house? Did he fail at the power play?

The boy could feel cold sweat at his back as one horrible scenario replaced the other one. Could he even survive such treatment?

Why did he make a mistake so early in the game? Everything was going so well…

-no. He could still turn the tables around. He just has to focus on Alois' weakness. Weakness. Weakness.

But what _was_ his weakness?

And then with a rush it came to him. _He was lonely._

"YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!"

"I'm not like the rest of them…and you know it."

Alois' glanced back at him at the words and his glare softened with confusion. The blonde locks covered one of his eyes as he leaned forward to get a better glimpse of the boy's face.

"What?"

"I'm different. Those people, your servants, they are only here because you ordered them to. However I'm not."

He spread his hands in a majestic gesture and looked around.

"I'm here because I _chose_ to be here. I'm here in this bedroom because I _willed_ it. How many of your servants can say the same thing?"

Alois' anger returned as he took a powerful step forward and glared at the boy.

"That doesn't make a differ-"

"-doesn't it? I think it does."

The room was silent and dark as the sun finally set down and robbed the world of its stinging light. The master of the Trancy household was staring at his servant with a searching gaze and stepped from one foot to another, as if considering a thought that never occurred to him before. His slim figure suddenly stilled as there was a loud knock on the door and both boys turned towards the large door.

"…e…enter!"

Hannah opened the door with quiet elegance and entered. The boy's heart immediately calmed down at the sight of her familiar kind face and he felt his protective nature strengthen with her submissive presence in the room. Her one eye seemed to be glowing in the dark as she formally announced

"The dinner is ready, master. "

Alois let out a long sigh at the words.

"Good. I'll be down in a minute."

"Very well, m-ah! Master! Are you alright?" Hannah asked with a concern that was undeserving for a person who slapped her with such a force just this morning. The boy's eyes darkened at the sight ready to interfere if such a thing repeated itself ever again; however Alois wasn't paying the maid any attention.

"Yes, yes I'm fine. Just get out of here."

"Yes, master." Hannah responded after a short pause and performed an elegant bow as she turned to leave. However before she could walk through the door she stopped herself and turned around once again.

"I apologize master but I forgot to ask…should I prepare a seat for one or…two?"

This was it. The moment of truth.

The boy could feel Alois' eyes on his face and made sure to remain confident looking and aloof. Alois' personality was extremely unpredictable but now that he found out his weakness a lot of his actions started to make sense to the boy. He knew that the young master had a burning need for a companion he just didn't know how _strong_ that need was.

'_How far would you be willing to go, Alois?'_ the boy asked himself with a frown.

'_Would you be willing to let someone step all over you for a little bit of genuine company?'_

'_Are you really that starved for affection?'_

"The dinner will be served for two." Alois responded in the end with a cold expression on his face. His eyes were steadily avoiding the boy's as he fixed his hair and crumpled clothes.

"Understood, master." Hannah replied and with one last bow left the room. The boy watched her go with a small smile on his lips.

That was well-played, he congratulated himself.


End file.
